


Observing You

by Amari



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Highschool AU, M/M, Odd quirks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 20:33:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/871691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amari/pseuds/Amari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Honestly, Joel had just wanted to learn about the kid he'd never seen before at school. He didn't want to get wrapped up in his life. Now Joel was a metronome, keeping the time in Ray's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Observing You

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first ever Joelay idea I had, but I had never written it previously. I hope you enjoy it.

Joel was a senior, and well on his way to being a "super senior" (That is, a senior that didn't quite graduate because they got fucked out of credits when they switched schools mid-HS Career) For the most part, he was a rather chill dude. His best buddy was also the most chill guy in the universe, Geoff.

Ray on the other hand, was a freshman. The HS was in smaller town so it was pretty obvious that he was new to the school district. He was a very shy person, choosing to keep to himself. His mind operated on a different level from most. He had interesting compulsive actions that he would do to keep himself in tempo with life.

This tempo ran everything.

He could only use two sets of stairs in the building, because they had the right amount of steps. If he ever used the other staircases, he'd end up tripping on the top step/bottom step. Without fail.  

His locker had to be organized in a very particular manner. He would tap things in there with his finger so he knew which one he needed. 

1 hour, two taps left, notebook, one tap back, folder, bend down, 3 taps forward, book. Close locker. 

2 hour 3 taps left, two taps left, no taps back. 

etc. 

He wouldn't grab the right books if his tempo was off, however, he was never off tempo, so this wasn't a problem. 

It was just a random passing in the hallway, when Joel first spotted Ray. Joel  was the kind of guy that knew everyone, even if they had no idea who he was. Yet, he didn't know much about Ray, and that made him curious. 

It was supposed to be an innocent thing. Nothing more than information gathering. He swears. 

But he started secretly watching Ray. Geoff picked on Joel at first, calling him a stalker. Honestly, Geoff was probably right. Joel would watch Ray around corners, trying to get a feel for what he was like. The boy didn't have friends, so Joel couldn't just ask how the freshman was. 

He noticed Ray's tendencies. The way the boy moved through the halls like a dance, weaving through people in a certain beat. Pass. Pass.Spin around. Pass pass. 

He noticed how Ray had his locker organized. 

He noticed his aversion to stairs. He watched him trip and fall a few times as well. 

Before Joel knew it, he was mesmerized by the inner world Ray lived in.

Joel was there, sitting against the wall, peeking around the trophy case, when he saw Ray make his first friend. Not necessarily against his will, but a first friend never the less. The Curly red-haired boy joel knew as Michael slammed his lunch tray down next to Ray, and told him that if he ever ate alone again, he'd punch his face in. Ray would be so ugly people would have a real reason to avoid him. 

Joel saw a first real smile on Ray. 

With time, Ray opened up to Michael, and eventually, a small british kid named Gavin. It made Joel so happy to see him finally make friend and not be the lonely kid in the corner anymore. However, a part of him did miss Ray's isolation. It made Joel feel special, like he was the only person that 'in' on Ray's world, but he dealt with it easily enough. 

From one world to another. 

Knowing that maybe Joel should stop watching Ray for awhile, he went a week or two without looking at Ray. 

Until he saw Ray come down the wrong flight of stairs. The boy looked more absorbed in himself than normal, and probably hadn't realize he was going down the wrong set of stairs. Joel wanted more than anything to step out and catch Ray before he fell, but he didn't. His legs locked into place, telling his brain not to let Ray know he was being watched. 

Don't let Ray know you know about his 'tempo.' 

Ray crashed into the floor, papers going everywhere.   
At least Joel let himself help the freshman pick up his stuff, but before Ray could get a good look at the person who helped him, he bailed. 

Joel was worried about Ray. He didn't know what had happened to his 'friend' that caused his tempo to have been thrown off. And just like that, he slipped back into watching Ray again. 

Ray didn't grab the right books, counting in a tempo that was a mix of the days, of the hours. He fell multiple times that day. He bumped into people left and right. 

The next day, Joel broke into Ray's locker and reorganized it in a way that matched Ray's mixed tempo. 

Needless to say, Joel was shocked when it had worked. 

Joel also took it upon himself to either bump into Ray on the steps. It would cause Ray's step count to reset, and he'd make it safely to the top or the bottom. 

Joel didn't understand why he did these things for Ray, but he did. He became a counter-tempo. A Dr.Beat. A metronome. A hidden melody. 

He did it gladly, just to see Ray's life in order. 

Until he was caught. 

Michael had confronted him suddenly. "Who the fuck are you?" The angry little freshman growled, backing Joel into a corner. "Why the fuck are you messing with Ray?" 

Joel attempted to play it off like he had no idea what he was talking about, "Don't fucking play dumb with me you shit, you're ALWAYS staring at him, like you are going to fucking eat him or some shit like that you cuntnugget. Not to mention I saw you fucking around in his locker this morning. What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Joel looked at Michael nervously as a finger dug into the middle of his chest. 

"Helping him." Joel answered seriously. "You might not see it, but he's fallen apart, and I'm keeping him together, his time, steadying him until he corrects his own tempo." The words escaping Joel's mouth sounded like nonsense, but they were still the truth. 

Joel flinched, expecting Michael to punch him, but upon looking at the younger man, he saw eyes that understood exactly what Joel had been saying. They almost... looked... sad? Michael's shoulders slumped back. 

"Well... just don't fucking hurt him, or I'll fucking break you." Michael threatened, stepping away from Joel. 

"I won't, as long as you don't tell him about me." Joel responded as he waved an arm in reassurance. 

Michael nodded before leaving. 

Joel continued his watch over Ray. He still hadn't figured out what had upset the younger. 

But then at lunch he saw it. The way Ray sat opposite of Michael and Gavin. He was hunched over his sandwich, uncomfortable with the two across from him. Michael and Gavin were sitting too close. The smile on Michael's face as he shoved a Ketchup-covered french fry into Gavin's large nose was too wide. Michael was too absorbed in the male next to him, whose face was now scrunched up, trying to lick the ketchup off. 

The two reeked of "new couple smell" but assuming from Ray's reaction, they hadn't told anyone. Ray didn't want to assume, and his head was spinning around the idea of "are they or aren't they?" And probably even worse the idea of "Why haven't they told me? Don't they trust me?"  That's why his tempo was off. Doubt in how you live, doubt in the music of your soul, makes it hard to focus. 

If Joel was to remain Ray's silent metronome, he'd have to step in again. 

This time it was Michael being cornered. "You already knew Ray was acting funny, didn't you?" Joel accused. 

Michael glared, not happy with his position. It had only occurred to him earlier that day that Ray had been off lately. Joel noticed the realization in the boy, that's what the sadness had been. His own happiness caused his friend to hurt, and he forgot it again. 

"You need to tell him." Joel commanded. 

"Tell him what?" Michael snared. 

"Tell him about you and Gavin." 

Joel saw Michael's face pale. Fear finally breaking through the angry boy's facade. 

"Shit." Michael muttered. He understood what had been happening. "I'll tell him tomorrow at lunch." 

"Good man." Joel smiled. 

Michael was true to his word as well. Joel had positioned himself at a table near theirs so he could hear what Michael was going to say. Ray had taken to trying to shrink himself into his shirt once again. Then Michael cleared his throat, bringing Ray out of his thoughts. 

"So uh... Ray, I think Gavin... and I should tell you something." 

Ray cocked an eyebrow in response. 

From underneath the table, Michael lifted his hand that was intertwined with Gavin's.

"Michael and I are... uh... together." Gavin bit his bottom lip nervously as he waited for his friend to respond.

Ray let out a huge sigh, "Thank god. I thought for half a second that one of you had cancer or something." Ray was trying to pull it off like it hadn't been a big deal to him, but Joel noticed the weight that was lifted off his mind. The way his shoulders relaxed easily as his mind settled down was not missed. 

With that, Ray’s tempo was set straight. Which meant that Joel was no longer needed to help. He didn’t have to break into Ray’s locker at the start of the day, or place himself strategically in the halls. He didn’t have to ‘bump’ into Ray on the stairs anymore.

His job was done.

He never felt so alone.

Geoff admitted it was nice to have his buddy back, but even the man with the laugh that could cure cancer couldn’t mend the quickly growing hole in Joel’s chest. Joel’s days grew grey without his shining little shy boy. His life lost his energy, battery depleted, no longer keeping time for someone else.

He lost his purpose.

“Christ, you obviously love the poor kid, why don’t you tell him already?” Geoff suggested during what was beginning to be another sour afternoon at the Ramsey house.

Joel gave his friend a look that shot daggers. “You know I can’t do that. It’d really fuck with him. He’d feel vulnerable, and exposed. He’d be scared if anything.”

Geoff chuckled, “So you don’t deny that you love him?”

“There’s no point in lying to you about it.” Joel said sadly. “Young body, old mind, middle-aged heart.”

“You dumbass.” Geoff shoved the other’s shoulder. “If you don’t tell him yourself, I’m going to go tell him that you want to bone him. That will REALLY fuck up any chance you have with him.”

In their years of being friends, Joel had learned that Geoff doesn’t bluff. He means what he says. Joel sighed, contemplating his choices.  He was hurting he knew that.  He knew that he wanted Ray. Ray had turned into a secret treasure, one that Joel wanted to keep to himself. However, does he risk it? Does he risk shattering his fragile treasure?

“I need some more thinking time, okay Geoff?”  Joel asked, exhaustion present in his voice.

Geoff rolled his eyes, “Well, okay. Two weeks.” Joel gave his friend a questioning look.

“Two weeks. " Geoff repeated, "If you haven’t done anything in two weeks, I’m going to step in.”

Joel groaned and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t argue with Geoff.

Joel didn’t even get a day to think about it when Michael and Gavin confronted Joel before morning homeroom. Michael’s expression as sour as ever. He must not get laid often enough. Wait, they were freshmen, what was he thinking?  Joel shook his head before asking them what they wanted.

“Ray’s not a fucking moron, you know?” Michael spit.

Joel’s face contorted in confusion. “Of course I know he isn’t a moron. What are you on about Michael?”

“You stopped watching him. He feels it. He’s not sure exactly what’s different, but he can tell that something is different. He said it happened once before.” Gavin piped up.

Michael continued, “He knew someone had his back during the time he was completely out of it. And now he’s--”

Joel interrupted, “He’s off, isn’t he? He’s off his tempo.” Joel rubbed his forehead. It was his fault this time. He ruined Ray’s beat .  "So what do you want me to do about it?"

“Fucking tell him that you’ve been watching him or some shit like that, I dunno. Make him feel better because I know you can do what we can’t.” Michael growled.

Joel blinked “What do you mean?”  

Michael was about to snap at Joel, but Gavin shushed him. “Like we said, he knows he’s being watched, he likes that someone’s paid attention to him. He doesn’t know who it is, but I doubt he’d be upset to know it’s you.”

Well, that was news to Joel. When you watch someone from a distance, you never hear what they say up close. You can see expressions, but you can’t hear the words. Joel had thought he knew everything about Ray, but he never realized that Ray may have known all along that someone was there for him. He didn’t think that Ray may have been hearing the metronome in his mind.

Maybe Joel could disrupt the tempo one more time. After all, you can reset a tempo. The music may not be the same at a different speed, but it can still be beautiful.

If there was anything Joel learned from watching Ray all the time was that the kid had an odd obsession with Roses. But they had to have an even number of petals, and nearly perfect.  And so Joel found himself another early morning at school, standing in front of Ray’s locker, holding a so-called ‘perfect’ rose behind his back.  His feet tapped the floor as nervousness filled his entire body. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

Around the corner came a very disheveled looking Ray. Even his mornings had to have a perfect routine it seemed, and if you disrupt the routine, you disrupt everything. Joel had told Michael to make sure he gets to school early today, and it seemed like Michael did his part.

Good man.

Ray rubbed an eye tiredly. It took him a few moments before realizing that there was someone in front of his locker. Joel noticed how Ray’s eyes flickered, like they registered a sense of familiarity with Joel, but was missing a crucial connection.

“Can... I help you?” Ray asked cautiously. He was focused on Joel’s face, trying to remember where he had seen this person before.

“Yeah, actually.” Joel began. “So you see… I have this problem… and it’s one only you can help me with.”

Ray was too tired to respond, and just waited for Joel to continue.

“Yeah, well, I’ve been kind of lost lately. You know, like lost in another world, but it’s been fine for the most part. But you see… I’ve lost my director, and I just don’t know who to click for. Yanno?”

No, Ray didn’t know. Of course Ray didn't know, and Joel knew that Ray had absolutely no idea. Great job Joel, “Well… Okay… how about this?” He drew in a deep breath before carefully exhaling. “Look, Ray, my name is Joel, and I know you. I’ve been watching you. I’ve been the one that’s been helping you out when you lose the count. Keeping you in track, and making sure you don’t bail on the stairs again.”

Joel didn’t like the look Ray was giving him. It was a startling expression that threw the young man to full alertness. A few seconds of silence passed and Joel knew that Ray was reliving this entire school year right before him.

Eventually Ray shook his head once his internal rewind had finished. “Okay… wow… I mean, I didn’t actually think that someone was watching me—“

“Yes you did Ray, and I know that you did.” Joel stopped him from finishing. His grip tightened on the rose that was still behind is back. “But you see… I’ve been watching your back… and here’s my real problem… “

Just go for it. Rock the boat. Throw the director out of the bandroom. Smash the metronome, if only for a moment.

Joel pulled out the rose, offering it to Ray. “I don’t have anyone to watch my back, and I was wondering if you’d be that person. That person to watch my back, to keep my life in time. To give my heart a companion beat. I am lost without someone to lead, and lost without someone to direct me. Would you like to go out with me?”

Ray took the rose, not answering immediately, and examined it. Joel saw Ray’s eyes full of wonder as he looked over the marvel of a flower.  He looked up at Joel, searching his face for sincerity.

Ray took the rose in one hand, and started to move forward. He rested his face against Joel’s chest. His face nuzzled into the soft fabric of the shirt on Joel's body.

“Yes…. Of course I would.” 


End file.
